21 people were killed as clashes broke out overnight between Turkish troops and Kurdish militants in the volatile southeastern Turkey.

21 people were killed as clashes broke out overnight between Turkish troops and Kurdish militants in the volatile southeastern Turkey.

Sixteen members of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in the fighting that erupted after the militants ambushed a military convoy, killing five Turkish soldiers, said the sources.

The convoy was hit by four simultaneous blasts in Semdinli town of Hakkari province, near Turkey's southeastern border with Iraq.

Fighting is still ongoing in Semdinli, a frequent site of clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants.